Sen. Sean Nienow, R-Cambridge, is in the process of liquidating his assets to pay more than $900,000 in debt he owes to the federal government, credit card agencies and a past business partner. Chief among Nienow's debts is a loan he and his wife secured through the U.S. Small Business Administration.
(07/11/2014)

State Auditor Rebecca Otto took a stand against exploratory mining leases, angering many people on the Iron Range. Former state Rep. Matt Entenza says that's not why he mounted a surprise last-minute primary challenge.

The Minnesota Orchestra's Sommerfest is underway. One of the highlights of the festival will be a tribute to the late jazz pianist Oscar Peterson by Andrew Litton, who is in his 11th season as artistic director of the festival. He spoke with MPR's All Things Considered host, Tom Crann.

While the idea may sound outlandish to some, it has already got $850,000 in seed money from the federal government, raised more than $2 million on a crowd-funding website and received celebrity praise.

Americans in the military are prescribed narcotic painkillers three times as often as civilians. This year, the Department of Veterans Affairs is treating about 650,000 veterans by giving them opiates.

Unlike its cousin applied science, basic science is not intended to address any particular pressing human problem; it is motivated by a wonderful combination of human curiosity, love of knowledge about our world for its own sake and scientific theory.